Whoa...6 months.

Just realized it's been 6 months since I last wrote something on here. A lot has transpired since the winter including; the end of an engagement (whew), moving out of Detroit (double whew), and painting a bit. It's been of time of recovery and reflection for me. It's been quite exhausting in someways. It's funny how you believe you have changed so much in your life and then one day wake up back in the same place you began to run from. You can only hope that this time it won't happen again...that you will make damn well sure it doesn't happen again. There is solace in that.
I am building up creative energy by observing more than anything else. I'm seeing deeper than I was 6 months ago. I am collecting inspirations. I'm almost done with a new portrait and now that I want to be invested in myself again, will post it as soon as I am done.

New Painting

Life has been busy. Moving, wedding planning, lots of events and still finding time to work on art. Starting some new work in the Steampunk vein. Utilizing old frames when I can. Here is my first piece.

hand painted bags

So I'm taking an academic painting break for a consumerist painting project. Due to the fact that I'm unemployed and haven't found a teaching job since I graduated in 04, or sold a painting since then I'm now onto painting handbags. I'll be selling them on my etsy shop. I've been using bags I find at the thrift store so it's a re-purpose project too. I'll post examples up when I get a few done.

New Year, New Day

Well 2009 has passed and I say good riddance. It had it's moments but I like to move forward more than stagnate. I'm entering one of those deep reflective periods which means I'll be moving to pencil for awhile. Painting is so action oriented. I'm not in that frame of mind right now. Maybe it's a phase to work on ideas. All I know is that drawing seems very appealing to me right now. I took several landscape photos while in Kansas which may become fodder for future work. I'd like to brush up on my landscapes because basically I'm tired of people. There is something more for me to discover, I can sense it. I hope I find it soon.

Society6

Thanks to Ready Made magazine I found this awesome art networking site. Looks far better than most others I've joined. I'm excited to put my work up. You can also make and sell prints from there. Here is the link :http://www.society6.com/studio/cathartic

It's a new day

Well now, let's see what has been going on. This maybe a bit of a vent...sorry. 2 art shows, 7 paintings, about 50 handmade items and not one thing sold. I'm not motivated to create by money but being unemployed I sure would like to see some monetary results...or maybe a random person telling me they enjoy my work. I'm being a baby here, I know. It's just hard after leaving school to find peers. I'm thinking about joining a group of intense Artists. The kind that get heated and debate. I miss critiques. Never thought I'd think that. I miss my 20th century seminar on aesthetics. I miss Susan. Don't know her last name but we'd go in circles about the meaning of Beauty. I'd get so peeved I'd have to crank up " White Trash" on the way home. I miss meeting people like Bruce Pearson and Julie Mehretu. Both came to my studio and gave me good critiques. Good in the sense that they gave me excellent advice. Bruce said " When you leave school it will be like death. You have to leave this area". 5 years later and I'm still here. Where do I go NYC? Nah, too busy. L.A., nah too shiny. Chicago, too similar. I think maybe I would enjoy crossing the big pond. London, Amsterdam, Berlin. (especially if Palin becomes President). I would love to move up to Traverse City. There is a certain amount of art there. No jobs really. But if Tony and I bought some land and built my dream house ( 4 mobile homes in a square with a meditation garden in the middle) and he found a work at home job it'd be amazing. A girl can dream, right. I'm ranting now. Back to Art talk. New ideas pouring in. Decided to go full force with the mixed media on canvas. Oil, Acrylic and charcoal. Starting small. Subject matter more whimsical. Detroit is way to serious of a place. If I can't live in whimsy I can make it. In our flat and in my work. Off now to research buying land.

Mixed Media

So I also did 2 mixed media pieces recently. I find that I can really achieve the color schemes I want when working with acrylic and paper. I'd love to find fluorescent oil paints but I've looked and looked. I can mix some but I still don't get the day glo effect I can get with acrylic.